2013 – 5th Grade National 3rd Place Winner

Dillon Withers, New Jersey.

Which is more powerful, love or hate?

Love and hate are the two main emotions in the universe. Everything in existence is shaped from these two building blocks. These vast conflicting forces bring to mind the
question—which is more powerful? Actually, they cannot be compared in terms of power, for in that they are equals. They are like two sides of the same coin. After all, how can you understand love if there is no hate? If you have never experienced hate, then you do not have anything to compare love to. Hate is more powerful in destruction, and love is more powerful in rebuilding. They balance each other out as Yin and Yang, light and darkness, black and white.

In the news today, we see a mountain of hate. The shooting at the Sandy Hook elementary school in Newtown CT was the second-most deadly in US history. People responded with an outpouring of support from around the world. So many toys were sent to victims at Sandy Hook, Newtown police had to ask the donors to stop. People across the country mourned for the dead and wounded. Hate ripped a hole in Newtown, and love healed it. So which is more powerful—love or hate? We see that the destructive power of hate is counteracted by the healing power of love.

A girl was recently murdered in Clayton, NJ for her bike parts. Her body was later found in a dumpster near her home. When she was first reported missing, the community, indeed the entire state, searched for her. Those who did not participate in the search prayed for her safety. People spent time making posters for the neighborhoods and putting up her information on social media. All of the hate behind this murder was counteracted by love. So which is more powerful—love or hate? Again, love dissolves the hate in the community. If there is a spike of hate in a given area, a corresponding spike of love will appear, consciously or otherwise.

This wisdom goes back to the time of the Ancient Egyptians. They believed that Order arose out of the Sea of Chaos (Nu) in the form of a pyramid (this pyramid was called a Benben.) The sun god Ra rose from the Benben, and his children created the world. It was believed that if Chaos were to fade, then Ra and the gods would fade also. Love and hate are directly comparable to Order and Chaos. The balance between Love and hate has been incorporated into the universe for so many aeons that it has become an integral part of our life today. Few are aware of this balance, but it is always there ... mending wounds, ending tyranny, healing hearts.

 

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